Transplantation of human iPSC-derived GABAergic progenitors, which will develop into mature GABAergic interneurons, to replace the lost GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus of AD brains and related disorders.

Unmet Medical Need

As a complex disease that damages the hippocampus, a brain region essential for cognition, Alzheimer's disease presents unique challenges for developing traditional therapies. iPSCs provide a way to generate brain cells for cell-replacement therapy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in California. Currently, there are over 480,000 AD patients in California—more than in any other US state—costing over $20 billion USD in healthcare each year. This research project focuses on developing cell-replacement therapies for AD. Successful completion of this research could help to improve the health of Californians and reduce the adverse impact of AD, thereby increasing productivity and enhancing quality of life.